A footage on social media is doing rounds where Argentina forward Angel Di Maria is seen spitting at Brazilian fans after they pelted him with beer near the Maracana tunnel during Argentina’s World Cup qualifier against Brazil. The incident occurred while Di Maria was walking towards the changing room with his teammates due to crowd trouble.
As Argentina’s players walked past a crowd of jeering Brazil fans, the beer fell on him. The action prompted Di Maria to return the favor with his own salivary missile.
The national anthem was interrupted by fans fighting and police throwing batons at fans, prompting Lionel Messi to take his team-mates into the dressing room for cover.
The match was postponed for half an hour as Emiliano Martinez attacked a police officer in an attempt to disarm him as the competition descended into chaos.
What Happened?
The video footage shows a droplet of beer falling onto Angel Di Maria’s forehead before he lunged at the spectator, who is not visible in the frame, and spat on them. It is not clear what sparked the altercation, however, supporters were observed to assault one another and tear away stadium’s seats to throw them into the crowd.
In an attempt to diffuse the situation, the police attacked the away supporters, using batons and striking some of them in the face, resulting in some leaving bloodstains.
Messi then escorted his teammates to safety in the midst of the escalating situation, but the situation was stormy even after the start of the match. To put it into perspective, the first half of the match clocked 22 fouls.
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In the second half, Nicolas Otamendi scored the only goal to give Argentina the lead. The goal put the World Champions on track to beat Brazil for the first time at home in World Cup qualifying game.
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